The gold rush transformed a former convict colony into a first choice destination for free emigrants. Europeans, North Americans, South Americans, Indians, Chinese and Africans were among the thousands who answered the call of Australian gold. As an experiment in multiculturalism however, the gold fields were a failure. Fear and hatred of the Chinese miners led to violence and eventually, legislation to restrict their numbers. Often forgotten in gold rush history, Indigenous Australians were also greatly affected by the influx of migrants and the loss of land and culture.

The immigration rushHundreds and thousands of hopeful diggers rushed to Australia and transformed the population.

Multicultural gold fieldsDiggers from all over the world created Australia’s first truly culturally diverse society on the gold fields.

Australia now mines about 300 tonnes of gold annually – worth about $4.5million – making it the third-largest producer in the world, after South Africa and the United States. Gold is Australia’s second largest export after coal.

In 1965 archaeologists discovered the "Ramlah Hoard" – a collection of gold dinars and ingots dating from 761 to 976 – at Ramlah, near Jerusalem.

Gold fingerprinting technology, developed in Australia to help police trace the origin of stolen gold, is now being used to determine the origin of archaeological artefacts.